
Controls
 89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
14Indicator lamp for independent ventila-
tion
>Activation time set:
The indicator lamp   comes on
>Independent ventilation switched on:
The indicator lamp   flashes
15Rear window defroster
16Air grill for interior temperature sensor – 
please keep clear and unobstructed
All other setting options for the automatic 
climate control can be found at "Climate" 
and in the   menu on the Control Display, 
refer to pages 90 and  91.
The current setting for air distribution is dis-
played on the Control Display.
A congenial climate 
To use the automatic function, press the 
AUTO button. Select an interior tempera-
ture you find pleasant.
The following section contains more 
detailed information on the available set-
ting options.
The cooling function is only possible with 
the engine running.
AUTO program 
The AUTO program adjusts the 
air distribution to the wind-
shield and side windows, 
towards the upper body and footwell as 
well as the air volume, while also using your 
preselected temperature setting as the 
basis for adjusting the interior climate to 
adapt to external seasonal influences.
The cooling function comes on automati-
cally when you select the AUTO program. 
At the same time, a condensation sensor 
controls the program in such a way that 
window condensation is prevented as far 
as possible.
Temperature adjustment 
The figures on the display pro-
vide a general indication of inte-
rior temperature. A pleasant 
adjustment is 727/226. 
When you start the vehicle, this system ensures that the selected tempera-
ture is achieved as quickly as possible. It 
then maintains this temperature, regard-
less of the season.
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation 
This program quickly removes 
ice and condensation from the 
windshield and front side win-
dows.
Adjusting air volume manually 
You can adjust the air volume 
by turning. You can reactivate 
the automatic mode for the air 
volume with the AUTO button.
Switching cooling function on and off 
manually 
The cooling function cools and 
dehumidifies the incoming air 
before also reheating it as 
required, according to the temperature set-
ting. Depending on the weather, the wind-
shield may fog over briefly when the engine 
is started.
The cooling function comes on automati-
cally when you select the AUTO program.
Maximum cooling 
This program quickly provides 
maximum cooling.
The system switches to the 
recirculated-air mode and the 
air flows at maximum air volume only from 
the vent outlets for the upper body area. 
For this reason you should ensure that 
these vent outlets are open before select-
ing this program.
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control 
You can respond to unpleasant 
odors or pollutants in the imme-
diate environment by tempo-
rarily suspending the supply of outside air. 
The system then recirculates the air cur- 

A congenial climate
90 rently within the vehicle. AUC executes this 
function automatically.
Press the button repeatedly to run through 
the following control sequence:
>Indicator lamps off: outside air flows 
into the vehicle continuously
>Right indicator lamp on, AUC mode: the 
system detects pollutants in the outside 
air and responds by blocking the supply 
of outside air when required.
Depending upon air quality require-
ments, in the automatic mode the sys-
tem alternates between its outside-air 
and recirculated-air modes
>Left indicator lamp on, recirculated-air 
mode: the supply of outside air into the 
vehicle is continuously blocked.
If condensation starts to form on the 
inside window surfaces during opera-
tion in the recirculated-air mode, you 
should switch it off while also increasing 
the air volume as required.
The recirculated-air mode should not be 
used over a longer period of time, as the air 
quality inside the vehicle deteriorates con-
tinuously.<
Residual heat mode 
If you press this button with the 
engine switched off, the system 
uses the warmth stored in the 
engine to heat the interior, for 
instance, while the vehicle is 
stationary at a school to pick up a child.
You can adjust the automatic climate con-
trol settings as of ignition key position 2.
Provided that the engine has warmed to its 
normal operating temperature and the bat-
tery is charged, you can use this function 
for up to 15 minutes after switching off the 
ignition. The LED within the button lights up 
to confirm compliance with both of these 
conditions.
Switching off automatic climate 
control 
The air volume, the heater and 
the cooling function are all 
switched off. You can restart 
the automatic climate control 
by pressing any of its buttons 
except the REST button.
Settings using Control Center 
Ignition key:
>On vehicles with separate drives for 
audio CDs and navigation DVDs, igni-
tion key in position 2
>On vehicles with one drive for audio 
CDs, ignition key in position 1.
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page 16:
1.Press button.
The start menu is opened
2.Move the controller to the left to open 
"Climate".
You can set the following:
>Separate air distribution for driver and 
front passenger
>Adapting the temperature in the upper 
body region
>Intensity of the AUTO program.
Manual air distribution 
You can combine your air distribution your-
self and also individually adjust the air tem-
perature in the upper body area. 

Driving tips
 103Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
road surface. This phenomenon is referred 
to as hydroplaning, and is characterized 
by a partial or complete loss of contact 
between the tires and the road surface, ulti-
mately undermining your ability to steer 
and brake the vehicle.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases as the 
tread depth of the tires decreases, also 
refer to Tire tread on page 167.
Driving through water 
Do not drive through water on the 
road if it is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, 
and then only at walking speed at the most. 
Otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electri-
cal systems and the transmission may be 
damaged.<
Braking safely 
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as stan-
dard. The best way to achieve optimized 
braking response from the ABS is to apply 
maximum pressure to the brake pedal in 
situations where this is required: panic 
stops. Since the vehicle maintains steering 
responsiveness, you can nevertheless 
avoid possible obstacles with a minimum 
of steering effort.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines with 
sounds from the hydraulic circuits to indi-
cate to the driver that ABS is in its active 
mode.
Do not drive with your foot resting on 
the brake pedal. Even light but con-
sistent pedal pressure can lead to high 
temperatures, brake wear and possibly 
even brake failure.<
Driving in wet conditions 
While driving in wet conditions and in 
heavy rain, it is a good idea to apply light 
pressure to the brake pedal every few 
miles. Monitor traffic conditions to ensure 
that this maneuver does not endanger 
other road users. The heat generated in this 
process helps dry the pads and rotors to 
ensure that full braking efficiency will then 
be available when you need it.
Hills 
To prevent overheating and thus 
reduced efficiency of the brake sys-
tem, downshift to a gear in which only min-
imal brake applications are needed when 
descending long or steep downhill 
stretches. Even light but consistent pedal 
pressure can lead to high temperatures, 
brake wear and possibly even brake fail-
ure.<
You can further enhance the engine's brak-
ing effect by selecting a lower gear in the 
automatic transmission's manual mode, 
downshifting as far as first gear on 
extremely steep stretches, refer to 
page 59. This strategy helps you avoid 
placing excessive loads on the brake sys-
tem.
Never drive with the clutch pressed 
or allow the vehicle to coast with the 
transmission in Neutral – or with the engine 
switched off – there is no engine braking 
when the transmission is in Neutral, and no 
power assist for brakes and steering when 
the engine is not running.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other 
objects to protrude into the area around the 
accelerator and brake pedals and obstruct 
their movement.<
Corrosion on brake rotors 
When the vehicle is driven only occasion-
ally, during extended periods when the 
vehicle is not used at all, and in operating 
conditions where brake applications are 
less frequent, there is an increased ten-
dency for corrosion to form on rotors, while 
contaminants accumulate on the brake 
pads. This occurs because the minimum 
pressure which must be exerted by the 
pads during brake applications to clean the 
rotors is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, 
the brakes will tend to respond with a pul-
sating effect that even extended applica-
tion will fail to cure. 

Starting navigation system
108
Starting navigation system  
Your navigation system can use satellites 
to ascertain the precise position of your 
vehicle and guide you reliably to any desti-
nation you enter.
Navigation DVD 
Special navigation DVDs are required; 
these are available from your BMW center.
Inserting navigation DVD 
1.Insert the navigation DVD with the 
labeled side up
2.Allow approx. 8 seconds for the system 
to scan the data from the DVD.
Removing navigation DVD
1.Press button 1.
The DVD is ejected from the navigation 
computer
2.Remove the DVD.
Opening navigation 
Enter data only when the vehicle is 
stationary, and always obey the traffic 
regulations and road signs in the event of 
any contradiction between traffic and road 
conditions and the instructions issued by 
the navigation system. If you do not 
observe this precaution, you may be in vio-
lation of the law, and can endanger vehicle 
occupants and other road users.<
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page 16:
1.Press button.
The start menu is opened
2.Move the controller to the right to open 
"Navigation"
3.Select "Navigation" and press the con-
troller.
* 

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
2.Move the controller backwards to open 
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" or "AM": radio reception
>"WB": calling up Weather Band station
>"SAT": selecting satellite radio
>"CD": selecting CD player or CD 
changer
>"Set": depending on each audio source, 
other settings can be made, e.g. on the 
radio: updating stations with best 
reception, storing stations, setting the 
tone, playing stations.
Switching on/off 
To switch the sound output for Entertain-
ment on/off:
Press button 1 on the CD player.
 This symbol on the Control Display 
indicates that sound output is switched off.
Adjusting volume 
Turn button 1 until the desired volume has 
been reached.
Depending on which key you have used to 
open the vehicle, the last adjustment is 
applied.
Adjusting tone 
You can alter various tone settings, e.g. tre-
ble and bass, or the speed-dependent vol-
ume. This changes the setting for all audio 
sources.
Depending on which key you have used to 
open the vehicle, the last settings are 
applied.
Changing tone settings
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page 16:
1.Press button.
The start menu is opened
2.Press the controller to open the   menu
3.Select "Entertainment settings" and 
press the controller 

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 133Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
The stations of the last selection criterion 
are displayed once again after a short time.
Depending on which key you have used to 
open the vehicle, other stored stations are 
displayed.
Changing a memory location
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page 16:
1.Select "Presets" and press the control-
ler
2.Select the desired station
3.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed
4.Select "Store" and press the controller
5.Turn the controller until the desired 
memory location is selected. 
The number of the memory location 
appears beside the name or frequency 
of the station
6.Press the controller.
The station is stored.
RDS Radio Data System 
RDS transmits additional information in the 
FM frequency range. RDS stations have the 
following properties:
>In the case of broadcasting networks 
that transmit over a number of frequen-
cies, there is an automatic switch to the 
frequency with the best reception qual-
ity
>If the reception conditions are good, the 
station names are shown on the Control 
Display. If the reception is weak or dis-
rupted, it can take some time before the 
station names appear.
Weather Band* 
Weather Radio is a service of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – 
NOAA – of the U.S. Department of Com-
merce. Weather messages are repeated 
every four to six minutes and are routinely 
revised every one to three hours, or more 
frequently if needed. Most of the stations 
operate 24 hours daily. During severe 
weather, National Weather Service fore-
casters can interrupt the routine weather 
broadcasts and substitute special warning 
messages. If you have a question concern-
ing NOAA Weather Radio, please contact 
your nearest National Weather Service 
Office, or write to National Weather Service 
– Attn: W/OM11 –, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, 1325 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD. 20910.
Selecting Weather Band
Control Center, for principle details, refer to 
page 16:
1.Select "WB" and press the controller
2.Select the Weather Band station and 
press the controller.
It can occur that the Weather Band station 
is not available in some regions.
Satellite radio* 
You can receive up to 100 different chan-
nels with high tone quality.
The channels are offered to you in pre-
defined combinations. To receive the chan-
nels of your choice, you must have this 
combination enabled. 

Radio
136 4.Turn the controller to select a memory 
location and press the controller.
The channel is stored. The stations of the 
last selection criterion are displayed once 
again after a short time.
Changing channel with buttons on 
CD player
Briefly press the button for the correspond-
ing direction.
The system switches to the next enabled 
channel.
Notes
When there is a signal blockage or the 
transmission is suspended momentarily for 
more than 4 seconds, a message appears 
on the Control Display.
Service may be interrupted or 
unavailable for specific reasons such 
as environmental or topographic condi-
tions and others that Satellite Radio cannot 
directly control.
Signal may not be available under tunnels, 
in parking garages, next to tall buildings, 
nearby trees with dense foliage, nearby 
mountains or other possible strong sources 
of radio interference.
Service should resume normally after the 
source of signal unavailability has been 
cleared.< 

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
 141Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Inserting CD magazine
Push in the CD magazine as far as possible 
in the direction of the arrow.
The CD changer automatically reads in the 
inserted CDs and is then ready for opera-
tion.
Notes
For correct playback of MP3 content, the 
MP3 data should have been produced with 
the Fraunhofer codec.
Good playback quality is achieved with a 
data transfer rate of 192 kBit/s, however it 
should be at least 128 kBit/s.
Safety notes
The BMW CD drives are Class  1 laser 
products. Do not operate if the cover 
is damaged, otherwise severe eye damage 
can result.
Do not use self-recorded CDs with labels 
applied as these can become detached 
during playback due to the development of 
heat and cause irreparable damage to the 
device.
Only use round CDs with a standard diam-
eter of 4.7 in/12 cm and do not play CDs 
with an adapter, e.g. maxi CDs, as other-
wise the CDs or the adapter can jam and 
may no longer be ejected.
Do not use a combined CD/DVD, e.g. 
DVD
Plus, as otherwise the CD/DVD can jam 
and is no longer ejected.<
Malfunctions
To prevent illegal CD copying, manufactur-
ers often use copy protection. This can 
mean than some CDs cannot be played or 
only to a limited extent. In this case, please 
contact the CD dealer or manufacturer.
You may experience playback problems, 
such as skips, when using CD-Rs/CD-RWs 
that you have copied at home.
If the CD that you have loaded in the drive 
does not play, check to ensure that the CD 
has been inserted correctly and inspect it 
for signs of defects.
High levels of humidity can lead to conden-
sation on the laser's scan lens and tempo-
rarily prevent it from reading the CD.
Keep CDs away from magnetic fields as 
created, e.g., by loudspeakers.
Always hold CDs by the edges; do not 
touch the reflecting CD memory surface.
Care instructions
You can find everything you need to know 
on this topic by consulting the Caring for 
your vehicle brochure.